Hi, my name is Craig not really
by Hematite
Summary: Left only so that I can read this and be embarrassed about how immature and stupid I was when I was a kid; please don't read it
1. What the HECK is that thing!

Bring on the POKEMON  
  
Just so you know: A/N time! Haha. Well, just so you know, ARON and UMBREON are my fav PKMN! So you'll be hearing about them quite a lot...I like MAWILE quite a lot too. And I have to make certain letters capitalized b/c this stupid program is annoying and they say I misspell them and that is SO ANNOYING! Sorry. I'm Hematite's crazy cousin Plebia, as he so NICELY refers to me. I write the stories, he does everything else.  
  
It was just another average day. Jack the farmer was sickling his grass fields. 'Whew.' He thought. 'That's the last of them.' That day, there were 4 fields of corn and 5 fields of tomatoes to be harvested. There were also 15 fields of grass to be cut.  
  
Jack was a very plain person. Soft spoken but strong minded. He wore his blue cap backwards, but a tuft of chestnut colored hair still showed. He said nothing unless someone asked him to. His blue overalls had no designs on them, like his scarlet bandana and snow-white shirt. His orange rucksack was pristine, but it, too, had no design. Jack was quick to show his opinion, however, when someone offended him, like Duke. Duke was the owner of the Aja Winery, and went to the Supermarket frequently. Unfortunately, he was also known as a free loader and never paid his bill. When Jack saw this, he was quick to speak up. But most other times, he said nothing.  
  
Jack thought a lot. To most people, he seemed deep. But as he explained to his friends on one of those rare occasions when he spoke, he wasn't deep. He wasn't trying to be. Jack simply thought more than he spoke. Unlike Manna. 'Dear Lord,' he thought one day. 'Does she ever shut up?'  
  
Jack Kurata was the grandson of Magami Kurata. He had inherited the farm from his grandfather, so he could stay in Mineral Town forever if he could prove himself. There was always an if. He had three years. If he could manage the farm well enough, get married, and make enough friends at the end of the three, then he could stay. If he didn't, well, he'd have to go back to the city. Which didn't suit Jack very well at all.  
  
Today was no different. Jack did his work, and was finished with everything at 6 PM. The dusk of yet another boring day. The end of another plain old, average, boring, and pointless day. 'Why am I doing this?' Jack thought. 'There's nothing to do...it's the second year already. I only have 5 sheep and 5 cows. At least the chickens are well. But I don't have a dog or a horse! And that just sucks mold.' He turned to go into his shack-I mean house, but then he remembered to go get his hoe, which had been abandoned in the middle of the field.  
  
What he saw surprised him. Very, very, much.  
  
A dog, a diminutive dog, was eating his hoe. It looked like a Dalmatian, only it didn't have ears. The dog had bright, bright, blue eyes, and its body was covered in white plates. 'Plates...' thought Jack. 'Those aren't plates. They're...they're steel! He's covered in steel!' A dog. A dog made of steel, was eating Jack's hoe. In the middle of his field. 'What is it?' Jack wondered. He advanced to salvage his iron hoe, but the dog seemed to realize this. The dog thing that was covered in steel tackled Jack's knees and sent him flying across the farm.  
  
A/N: What is that dog thing? Yes, I know this is short. So what? I love that 'dog thing'! Do you know what it is? It's...it's...an...  
  
Let's spoil the story! It's an ARON! Yop! One of my F A V O R I T E POKEMON ever! I LUV ARON and UMBREON! ARON is from the Ruby and Sapphire games, in case you don't play POKEMON. He's a Steel/Ground combo. He's pretty tough, good on offense and defense. He's weak against the attack 'Magnitude' though. =( But I still like him! And next chapter, we will meet Mineral Town's POKEMON expert...and he'll have a MAWILE! Ooh..and next chappie, Cliff comes to MT! So happy. Haha spoiling my own story. Whatever. Just a heads up. Almost everyone will get a POKEMON. The adults, I don't know...all the young people are, anyways. Review, please. Tell me how much my story sucks. And give suggestions on what POKEMON Duke, Doug, Carter, Stu, and the Doctor should receive. 


	2. So that's what it is

A/N: Why, yes, I am insane. Why do you ask? Isn't it obvious if I'm making a fanfic as crazy as this one? Nooooooo....of course I don't own any of this  
stuff. Sheesh. Get a life if you think I do.  
  
Just when Jack was waking up, Popuri entered the farm. "Jack?" she called. "Jaack...I need you to-"  
  
She screamed at the top of her lungs. Jack assumed that she had caught sight of the dog thing in the middle of his field, which had just finished off his hoe. "Jack! What is that thing? What is it doing here? What...is it? Answer me...where are you Jack?!"  
  
Jack groaned as he stood up. Like it or not, Popuri was his neighbor and girlfriend. And he couldn't just leave her there, couldn't just run away from...the dog...couldn't just run to the mountain and hope that everything would get better.  
  
'I think I'll name that thing...Iron.' "Uhh...Popuri, that thing just appeared this morning. But I do need a dog, no farm is complete without one, I suppose. This one would be perfect. It's not afraid of anything, and also, it's so strong!..."  
  
Popuri pouted. "I'm not going to enter your farm with that thing just sitting there!" Jack sighed. "I'm going to name it Iron. I'm sorry Popuri, I really am, but I need something to protect the chickens when they're out. I can't guard them all night...and Iron would be perfect!"  
  
She sighed. "At least tell me that is a dog." Jack bit his lip. He wasn't going to lie just for Popuri's sake. Jack did things honestly. He thought honestly, he spoke honestly, he was honest. And that was that.  
  
"Popuri...I don't think that that's a dog..."  
  
"Then what Is it? Jack, spit it out."  
  
"If anything, that is a steel dog."  
  
"It's not normal! It's alien...get rid of it!"  
  
"I can't just turn down a perfectly good dog."  
  
"You can too!"  
  
"Popuri...please..."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted by Gray, who had just left the blacksmith shop. He was followed by a short little creature, who came barely above his knee. It had diminutive hands, with black markings that resembled gloves. On its head were huge jaws, giving it a tough appearance. However, its eyes were so docile and gentle that it resembled a guinea pig. The jaws smirked and snapped at Popuri, who flinched abruptly.  
  
Gray noticed Iron standing in Jack's field. "So...you found a POKEMON too, huh?" he asked Jack. Jack stared at him. "A...POKEMON? What is a POKEMON?"  
  
"A POKEMON is sort of like an animal, only you can train it to fight..." Gray explained. (A/N: I'm very sorry! I don't know how to explain it any other way...)  
  
"Oh."  
  
Popuri glared at Iron and the creature following Gray. "How do you know all of this stuff?" she shot at Gray. Gray mildly replied, "In the city...there was a thing called a GBA...a Game Boy Advanced. There was also something called a GBC...a Game Boy Colored. There were POKEMON games...and these POKEMON are straight from the games. ARON, over there, in Jack's field, comes from POKEMON Ruby Version. MAWILE here comes from Ruby Version too. And I think I saw TORCHIC and ROSELIA going to your house, Popuri."  
  
Popuri gasped. "Oh no! I don't want those disgusting things at my house! Maybe I can convince Rick and Mom to chase them out..." she dashed off towards the Poultry Farm.  
  
"What did you call Iron?" Jack asked Gray curiously. "Oh, I'm sorry, I called it an Aron. Because that's what it is, you know. But people nickname their pokemon, you nicknamed Aron Iron, I guess."  
  
Jack nodded. "Well...be seeing ya."  
  
Gray nodded slightly and wandered off with his MAWILE.  
  
A/N: Well...I finally decided to update this thing. I like this one better than Charade...probably b/c I get to roll up my two favorite games! Kinda sorta. Ehehehe...Suicune, Raikou, and Entei will come later...So will Eevee and Umbreon, as well as Espeon. Skitty and Delcatty play a minor role, to replace Nora at the Inn. Jack and Pastor Carter...they, well...they don't play a major role. They will leave soon. And I know I promised Cliff in this chappie, but, I decided to make it a different chapter. Popuri gets a Roselia... 


	3. Cliff and Cain

A/N: Yea, yea, yea...I kno I am insane...Ehehe...thanx to RuRu for reviewing mi story twice. =( no one else reviewed! I am mad...is it obvious? It should be. Special thanx 2 RuRu ... and Game Freak...and Natsume. Obvious Disclaimer: I don't own anything buh the ability MIMIC which isn't in this chapter anyways. Anyways, now I am quitting the AIM talk...and continuing the fic...  
  
Jack played with Iron a little bit before going to bed. He found that Iron was much more obedient and well behaved than a dog. Jack patted Iron before entering his house...  
  
Gray had been talking to Mary. She had gone to Saibara's shop because she, too, had found a POKEMON. A cute and cuddly TEDDYURSA! (A/N: He's so cute...I hate it when he evolves into URSARING) Gray showed her some pictures and told her a little bit about what he knew about POKEMON. Suddenly Stu burst into the house.  
  
"Grandma sent me to get you guys! There's some guy in our backyard! He has a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG bird! And Gramma doesn't wanna bother Elli or the Doctor cuz they're at the Inn...and well..."  
  
Mary nodded. "Stu, where is this guy?"  
  
Stu repeated, out of breath, "I TOLD you! He's in our backyard!"  
  
Mary looked at Gray, who soundlessly and emotionlessly got up. He quickly strode to Ellen and Stu's house...  
  
There was someone standing in Ellen's backyard. He had long brown hair tied back, shining brown eyes, and blood stained hunter's clothes. On his shoulder was perched a rather large bird, who had a bright pink crest-a PIDGEOT (A/N: I don't remember what he looks like! That was so long ago!). The Hunter turned in surprise to look at Gray and Mary. "Oh...um...am I in someone's yard?" 'Gawd.' Thought Gray. 'He's kinda sharp...' "Yeah." He said out loud. The Hunter turned slightly pink. "Is there an Inn around here?" Gray nodded. "Follow me."  
  
After Gray and Mary showed the Hunter to the Inn, he told them his name. "I'm Cliff...from Farore Village..." (yet another A/N: I dunno which village he comes from. I know some stuff about it. Buh I don't kno what village it is. Ehehe...Zelda name...)  
  
"Nice to meet you Cliff." Gray said slowly. Mary nodded (A/N: Goddess, I make her nod a lot don't I?) and smiled sweetly. "Same here." Cliff bade good bye and went inside the Inn.  
  
He quickly came back out, pursued by Ann. "One tip, Cliff." She started. "Tell my dad you're married or have a girlfriend somewhere. Otherwise...uhh..." "Umm..okay..." Cliff replied. Ann sighed. "Dad tries to marry me off to every guy who walks into our Inn. It's tiring...I need to get away from there..." Ann thought for a moment before saying brightly, "Hey! Why don't I show you around?" Cliff half smiled. "That would be nice...um...I didn't get your name..." Ann responded energetically, "Ann! My name is Ann! I'll show you around Mineral To-"The PIDGEOT swooped down from the sky and perched onto Cliff's shoulder.  
  
"Ann, Gray, Mary, meet Cain. He's my PIDGEOT. He's been my companion since he was a PIDGEY. Cain, greet them already...they don't have knives hidden...I hope" Cain grumpily chirped. "Cain!" Cliff scolded. "You don't have to swear..." Cain finally gave a half hearted chirp. "That's better." Cliff sighed. "Don't be so cold around strangers.."  
  
"You understand your POKEMON?" Gray asked excitedly. Cliff shrugged. "I guess..." "That is so cool...I hope that one day I will be able to understand MAWILE..."  
  
"And I TEDDYURSA." Mary put in.  
  
"Why don't you all show me around?" Cliff suggested. "It'd be nice to be around people who like POKEMON as much as I do..."  
  
"That's a good idea!" Ann piped in enthusiastically. "I found a pink cat POKEMON today..."  
  
"Sounds like SKITTY." Gray said. Ann was all smiles. "I named it Nora!"  
  
Cliff laughed. "So shall we get started?"  
"No." Gray replied pointedly. "It's dark. We should show you around tomorrow."  
  
"Very true. Sounds good. Good night all y'all." Cliff turned abruptly and disappeared into the Inn.  
  
A/N: Finally done...I'm not very good at making long chapters...I suppose listening 2 Hung doesn't help much either. =( I'm just rilly mad at sum1 right now...they insulted mi xanga so I 'retaliated' by putting 'better' music on it. She Bang by William Hung 


	4. Filler

A/N: Lalala. Just got bak frum camp! Haha...my group was called the Village Idiotz. So...thanx to every1 hu reviewed! =D so happy. Yea, ZANGOOSE looks cool. But since Karen likes dancing, mebbe she should end up with sumthing that likes dancing. Or something. I don't know...maybe SPINDA teeter dance ...have you ever read its POKEDEX entry? "Its walk give it the appearance of dancing..." So I might give her a SPINDA. And then Karen could teach it Swords Dance and Petal Dance! XD completely different moves, but oh well. Some1 should get a ZANGOOSE. No story is complete w/o a ZANGOOSE and an ARON and an UMBREON! XD haha. Buh anyways, on with the story. RAYQUAZA...LATIOS...LATIAS...legendaries...hmm...SUIKUN, RAIKOU, and ENTEI will enter later anyways. More legendaries to come! Ehehe...slacking Disclaimer: If you think I own these games, Bash your head against your monitor, If you think I own these games, Bash your head against your monitor, if you think I own these games and you really wanna show it, if you think I own these games, bash your head against your monitor.  
  
Spring 6th  
  
Gray met Cliff at the Inn, really early. Ann was wiping off some tables. Soon, Cliff came downstairs with Cain. (A/N: Yea. This part sux b/c im really tired. Just got bak frum camp) "Ready to go?" he asked. "Mary can't come because she has work today." Gray said. "So let's go...that is, if you can come, Ann."  
  
"Wait a minute Gray." Ann replied. "Don't you have to work too?"  
  
"It's Thursday."  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
So the group went. Yadda yadda yadda...the usual 'this is the hospital, this is the library, so on and so forth Ann talked a mile a minute, saying things about recent accidents at the hospital and things about her father. It seemed to Cliff that even though Ann thought her father was psycho; she was very close to him. Cliff, unlike Ann, never talked at all. He stayed deathly silent the entire time. Never speaking, only nodding, never answering questions at all. Gray, on the third hand, spoke only when necessary. If you're showing someone around a village, you have to talk at least a little. Even if the maniac next to you is pretty much barking her head off.  
  
When they got to Ellen's house, Cliff got a 'proper' introduction to Ellen and Stu. They welcomed him to Mineral Town warmly, then warned him about the other villagers. "Some villagers aren't very nice to newcomers. Don't speak to them unless they speak to you first. It is a strange system, but it will keep them from finding excuses to lynch you."  
"Wh-what?" Cliff asked a bit nervously. Cain ruffled his feathers before settling down again.  
"Just kidding. But you know, they won't warm up to you fast. That's for sure. Never speak unless spoken to; that is the rule. They won't despise you if you stay silent. When they start talking to you, make sure you answer. But politely. Always politely."  
"Um...okay." "And by the way, if you can find a date for the Spring Goddess Festival, you're golden." "Um...okay." "Good. Now go meet the rest of us." "Um...okay." (XD! Too lazy to press enter and also to make Cliff say anything else!)  
  
Back at the Inn  
  
Cliff, Gray, and Ann were playing cards. Big 2. The Chinese way (You know, Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs) Doug was obviously plotting something. About either Cliff or Gray. But by the end of the day, he didn't do anything anyways. So that was a pretty pretty cool. (XD! Homestarrunner.com!)  
  
"Hey, Gray, what was Ellen talking about? You know...the Goddess whatsit?"  
  
"Oh, that?" Ann jumped in. "I never really saw the point of it...I mean, I have to wear a dress! It's insane and horrible! I never got asked anyways...wait...did I? Well—"she jabbered on and on. But she was nothing compared to Sasha, Anna, and especially, Manna as Cliff would soon find out.  
  
Spring 7th  
  
(A/N: Cliffie's gonna tell this part! Aren't you excited! Cliff: No. Hematite: Too bad. Go! Or...I'll set ARTICUNO on you... Cliff: already gone)  
  
I woke up in a strange room, at first not knowing where I was. Finally it hit me that I was at Mineral Town, in the local Inn. (No pun intended, of course) Cain gave me an indignant, miffed, chirp. 'It's about time you woke up, stupid,' Cain scolded. "Cain...shut up..." 'Make me. And remember,' Cain replied. 'Cliff has to find a daaaaaatee...' "Cain...shut up..." I mumbled. 'No way, baka-yalu! Not until you get me something to eat.' "Cain...shut up..." I turned away from him, hoping that it would make him be quiet. 'CLIFF! Just get your fat butt out of that bed and get me something to eat.' "A REAL PIDGEOT would get his OWN RATATTA, his OWN RATICATE, his OWN stupid mouse. But nooooooo...I'm stuck with the laziest PIDGEOT on this planet..."  
  
Cain was around Level 50. He was relatively strong, if I must say so myself. Unfortunately, Cain had his own mind, he disliked my opinions. But he was my friend, my companion, my savior. He kept me from going insane in the forests, kept me from talking to myself. I had him to talk to, and he wanted me to know that. Again unfortunately, Cain had his own way of showing it.  
  
Through rigorous training and hunting, Cain became my ultimate partner, my best friend. I understood him and he understood me. I was glad of that, of course, and so was Cain, but he acted like he didn't. It was just one of his ways, that ornery PIDGEOT.  
'Aah! Cliffie is TOO LAZY to get me my food, eh?' "More like Cain is too lazy to just go next door and pick out some rat."  
  
'Cliff wants to stay here and find a date, doesn't he?' Cain jeered.  
  
"Shut...the...heck...up..."  
  
After a few more minutes of arguing, Cain finally flew off to get a rat. It wasn't like I had somewhere to go to. Hey, it wasn't as if any one of the girls in town would want to go with me to that weird festival. Sheesh, I'm not even a villager. I wouldn't go to that festival. It would be just like every other village I've traveled to. They ignore me, then start leering and glaring, and finally, it gets so bad that I leave. Why should Mineral Town be any different?  
  
A/N: This chapter is kinda boring. Buh at least it's relatively long XD! In the next chapter or so, Jack and Carter leave to establish missionaries. And in come a LOT of new characters! So fill out the following if you're reading this if you want to be in the story. The following will definitely be in the story: Krystal, Hiro, Isaac, Lydia, and Brendan. Possibly Falkner and Terra. I don't know about them. Buh Krystal, Isaac, and Lydia play major parts. Hiro...not really. All right...if you want to be in this story, fill out the following.

Name/wat you wanna be called:

Personality:

Wat you look like:

Your Pokemon:

IE: Hematite , Crazy, Hyper, and bored, Blak hair, brown eyes, Umbreon/Aron


	5. Enter Shadow, the Swordsperson supreme

A/N: RuRu has replied to my weird little thingy! XD! So fast too! YaY! Anyways, thanx RuRu! I think I'm going to have to give you ABSOL because I'm gonna give Hiro ESPEON and Krystal UMBREON. Sorry about that! (TT) All right ppl...ABSOL's Moveset: Swords Dance, Shadow Ball, Aerial Ace, Rest. He'll be holding a Chesto Berry, so he'll be pretty darn cool. I guess. And his ability will be Pressure. Which pretty much sucks, but that's what my ABSOL's pretty much like, so yea. RuRu will be a...um...uh...Cool...Trainer? I don't know...oh! I know! A PKMN Trainer XD! (So very unimaginative. Thank you Zero84! I'm going to make you a Cool Trainer or Swords Person. And also, I can't give you every single POKEMON! ='( sorry. But I will give you...ZANGOOSE, SANDSLASH, and WAILMER. I can't give you BLAZIKEN because I'm giving Rick a TORCHIC...=) (Evil mood. And RAYQUAZA is a legendary, right? I can't give anyone a legendary yet probably because they will come later in the story. You'll get it then. And the rest...well... I'm so lazy I think that's too many. Congrats if you ppl actually read this far. Disclaimer: See previous chapter  
  
Spring 7th...still  
  
Cliff finally got out of bed because Cain came back with a relatively large rat. He had bugged Cliff until Cliff finally got out of bed. (a/n: does that even make sense?) When Cliff went downstairs, Cain swooped out the window. For the rest of the day, Cliff never saw him.  
  
Downstairs, the first thing Ann did was drag Cliff out the door. Imagine Cliff hog-tied and Ann dragging him "Why," Ann hissed. "Didn't you tell my dad that you had a girlfriend?"  
  
Cliff stared at her. "I don't lie. She was killed 5 years ago."  
  
Ann sighed. "Dad will be leaping for joy. Sorry Cliff...he'll be bugging you to ask me to the festival."  
  
Cliff looked moderately annoyed. "Who said I was even going to the festival?"  
"You have to go. Unless you want to be locked in the Inn all day. Dad is paranoid; he won't let you do that."  
  
"Fine." Cliff said. "I'll go to that stupid thing. But I'm DEFINITELY not asking anyone..."  
  
Spring 7th, only now it's 6:00  
  
"Hey, Cliff," Doug beckoned. "Come here." Cliff warily walked over to Doug's counter. 'If what Ann told me was true.' He thought. 'Then this...'  
  
"Cliff, are you going to the festival tomorrow?" Doug asked casually. "Yes." Cliff replied. "Then," Doug continued. "In THAT case, why don't you take Ann?" "Why me? Why not Jack?" Doug shrugged. (No pun intended.) "What can I say about Jack? He goes, he shows up, he does nothing. In all that I've seen, and that is quite a lot, he has never even asked Popuri. Can you imagine it?"  
  
"Popuri?" Cliff asked blankly. "Does she live at Chicken Lil's? Because no one was there..." Doug nodded. "Yes...I believe she's been going out with Jack for some time now." Cliff blinked and said nothing. "So will you take Ann?" Doug asked hopefully. "What can I say?" Cliff answered. "I'm not going to stay here long. I'm going to leave when I don't have money...I'm going to go back home..."  
  
Doug sighed. "I just wish Ann would just hurry..." Cliff didn't want to know what Doug wanted Ann to hurry up with. He had a horrible feeling that he already knew.  
  
The day of the Spring Goddess Festival  
  
Gray met Cliff at the festival. It turned out that Gray hadn't asked anyone either. Like Jack and Cliff. In fact, Karen, Rick, Elli, and the Doctor were the only people who showed up asked. (A/N: Does that make sense? I hope it does.) But all three of them noticed new faces at the Square...(Yes, even for Cliff.) There was a guy with blue hair that barely showed underneath his bandana, a girl who looked like his sister, and also a lot of POKEMON. "They must be the people who are moving in." Jack whispered to Gray. The dance was starting, and most of the girls looked stunning in their Spring Goddess costumes. Everyone but Elli. (A/N: SORRY! I don't like Elli OR Popuri that much...Heck, Popuri's better than Elli at least. Sorry all you Elli Fans. Though I do admit that Elli looks cute with Jack, I still don't like her that much.)  
  
"Moving in?" Gray asked. Jack nodded. "Sure...Pastor Carter and I are going to go establish missionaries...(A/N: You give some other reason to boot out Jack and Carter and I'll change this part.) so we rented out the farm and also the church. I think that guy is...POKEMON breeder Isaac and that's his cousin, POKEMON breeder Lydia."  
  
"When are you leaving?" Gray asked. "Oh, I don't know for sure...but I think today. Or maybe early, early, tomorrow. Those two are going to stay at the Inn tonight." Was Jack's response.  
  
"Shut up, you guys!" the Doctor hissed from behind them. The dance was starting now.  
  
Spring 8th, Jack's Farm (The COBAYE)  
  
Rick, Karen, the Doctor (Jack had never bothered to find out his REAL name) and Elli all had places to go. Popuri had just gone back to her house with Mary, so Cliff, Gray, and Jack all went to the COBAYE farm to help Jack.  
  
"Thanks, but you know you don't have to do this." Jack said. Gray shrugged. "Nothing better to do." Cliff nodded. MAWILE was helping to move boxes too, and Iron was nudging boxes around. (A/N: ARON will never evolve because LAIRON and AGGRON are so ugly !) Cain pecked at the window until Jack let him in. "What is it, Cain?" Cliff asked. Cain chirped and dropped something onto the ground next to Cliff. It was a POKEBALL. "Wonder what's inside." Gray said. Cliff picked it up and released the POKEMON inside. It was a...ZANGOOSE! There was a deep red slash across its body and one across its face. Its menacing purple claws looked ready to kill, and the piercing golden eyes didn't help much either. Its fluffy tail just seemed to contribute to its mean looking appearance.  
  
"HEY!" a voice yelled from outside. Everyone, including ZANGOOSE turned to the general direction of the sound. Someone was standing there.  
  
Shadow had come in search of POKEMON. It was rumored that the legendary Black DRAGONAIR was last sighted in the waters around Mother's Hill. Black DRAGONAIR had the most amazing attack and grace ever; she was as silent as darkness and as swift as light. This Black DRAGONAIR could cut through water silently and swiftly, as though it were air. But the Black DRAGONAIR COULD cut through air. It was just one of the remarkable things about her; the Black DRAGONAIR was never seen in the same body of water twice. How did she get around so efficiently, so easily? It was just another mystery of the Black DRAGONAIR. (A/N: Sorry Zero84! But you had to have SOME kind of a reason to be coming to Mineral Town!)  
  
Shadow looked as black as darkness, everything she was wearing was black. Even her POKEBALLS didn't stand out much, because they were ULTRABALLS. The yellow stripes looked stunning against the black. Her black eyes, sharp as a tiger's, seemed to intensify the effect. She wore a black sleeveless shirt, as well as baggy pants of the exact same shade. The obsidian hilt of the sword on her back gleamed dangerously. The rest of it was covered by her cloak, which was, of course, black. But unlike the rest of her clothes, her cloak had beautiful golden traces on it.  
  
"Meet the rest of my POKEMON." Shadow said quietly. She sent out SANDSLASH and WAILMER. SANDSLASH was the color of earth. Like ZANGOOSE, SANDSLASH had menacing claws. The spikes on its back made it resemble an echidna.  
  
WAILMER, on the other hand, was very round and looked more cute than menacing. Its fins gave it an even stranger appearance. However, Cliff looked at it once and could tell it was very powerful already. Maybe Shadow didn't let it into a WAILORD, or maybe he was wrong. Or maybe it just wasn't at the happiness or level to evolve.  
  
Shadow explained slightly about the Black DRAGONAIR. Gray could see why she would want something like that.  
  
A/N: Well. That's kind of eventful. At least I introduced SOMEONE. Next chappie, Jack finally leaves, Lydia and Isaac move in, the Black DRAGONAIR is sighted!... 


	6. Isaac and Lydia's Mysterious Past

A/N: Lalala. Yea. The usual stuff. U know wat? WAILORD is fat. Oo whatever. Um...more about the Black DRAGONAIR. If you people want detailed explanations, read. If you don't, then...don't read. Meh. Anyways, in the POKEMON games, there are chances of encountering a Shiny POKEMON. But don't get your hopes up, if you play this game and don't know about these POKEMON. It is very rare to encounter one, and your chances are about 1 in 750,000! Fortunately, you can obtain one and the Lake of Rage, when they are all so obsessed with the Red GYRADOS. Now, Shiny POKEMON don't have as good stats as a Normal, everyday, POKEMON. So why would you want one? Simple. Because it's shiny XD! JKJK. Because it makes a valuable ally to your team. See, while Shiny POKEMON will never go to the MAXIMUM stats for that particular POKEMON. But, they gain experience points fairly quickly, much more quickly than a normal POKEMON. This is from a website called LUGIA'S Dungeon: "What differs from them and the everyday Pokemon?  
  
Well they have an above normal DV, every pokemon has a unique DV which is the method in which determines how the Pokemons stats will change as it levels up, a shiny pokemons DV is usually much greater than that of a normal pokemon, so it stats will go up much quicker as it levels up or evolves, thus making it a valuable ally!" [altered to fix some hope that clears some things up about Shiny POKEMON, because the Black DRAGONAIR is a shiny. Disclaimer: See previous chapter.  
  
The 9th of Spring  
  
Shadow asked around the village about the Black DRAGONAIR. No one had seen it, but Zack, the shipper, said, "I don't know much about it. But I heard that someone saw something black and mysterious fly out of a lake and plunged into a river nearby. Maybe it's your Black DRAGONAIR." Zack whistled for his KECLEON and set off on his way.  
  
Shadow wondered briefly if this shape was worth looking into. Surely there would have been a huge fuss if someone had really seen it?  
  
Cliff and Gray stood at the front of the COBAYE, watching as Jack piled the last of his stuff into Carter's truck. (A/N: Dunno y I made Carter have a truck, but...)  
  
"See ya in 3 years! Bye!" Jack called as the truck pulled away, leaving the two friends in the dust. They watched until the truck was out of sight, nothing but a cloud of billowing dust blowing off into the wind.  
  
"Hi...are either of you Jack? Or Carter maybe?" A gentle voice startled both Cliff and Gray. Gray turned around first, while Cliff scanned the azure skies for Cain.  
  
"No...sorry. Jack just left." Gray explained. It was the girl they had seen yesterday, presumably Isaac's cousin. "Oh," she said. "Do you know your way around the farm? Of course you do, but, just to be safe..." her voice trailed off.  
  
She was wearing a bright red bandana over her sky-blue hair (A/N: Any of you ever battled her? I didn't make her up...she's actually in POKEMON Ruby version.). Her apron was the same color. She wore a snow white T-Shirt and dirty blue jeans. "I'm Lydia. I'm going to be moving into the church, and my cousin Isaac will be living here. Nice to meet you, um..."  
  
"Gray." Gray replied. "Likewise. Hey, Cliff, you find Cain yet?" Cliff shook his head before turning to Lydia. "I'm Cliff." Was all he said before turning back to the skies once more.  
  
"Who's Cain?" Lydia asked in earnest. "A PIDGEOT." Gray told her. Lydia looked delighted. "Is there any chance he would need someone to raise him?"  
  
Cliff shook his head again. "He's level 50, and I don't think you'd want to deal with a PIDGEOT as ornery as him!" Lydia was obviously very disappointed. "Well...if you ever change your mind...you can always bring him to the SASAKI POKEMON BREEDERS."  
  
Lydia's strange behavior made Gray wonder...why did she seem so eager about Cain?  
  
His question was answered later when they met Isaac. Lydia had gone to the church to unpack her things.  
  
"Hi. I'm Isaac." The same guy they had seen at the festival greeted them. Like Lydia, he wore a red bandana, a white T-Shirt, blue jeans, and a bright red apron. He also had blue hair.  
  
"What brings you to Mineral Town?" Gray asked him. Isaac hesitated a minute before starting. "Well, you see, in the HOENN region, most people don't use day-care centers anymore. They don't actually RAISE their POKEMON, but now that it's the Technological Age, people use TM and HM instead of just raising their POKEMON naturally. No POKEMON know naturally learned moves anymore. Everyone just uses the HMS and TMS. So, we were out of business at home. We kept moving where the POKEMON happened to travel, but each time technology caught up. We tried to stay ahead in HOENN but soon, it was wiped out. The Move Tutor got frustrated and left. Mother and Father, as well as Lydia's, I guess, reverted to technology. It's frustrating, so finally we left. It's just by a pure stroke of luck that POKEMON migrated here as well."  
  
"Oh." Gray and Cliff were silent for a minute.  
"We're out of money." Isaac continued. "First, we went to VERDANTURF TOWN. A rather nice old couple let us stay there, but when Wanda moved in, they could pay the rent and we couldn't. The old couple needed money too, though they lived in luxury at LAVARIDGE. You see, their herb shop was failing them. They were running out of money too."  
  
"So you see, we had nowhere left to go in HOENN. Each town, they didn't need us. We couldn't afford anything. Finally, we saw Jack and Carter's ad in the paper. So we came here."  
  
"And now, hopefully some people will want us to raise their POKEMON. We got a couple already, but, it won't let us live for long. Before we know it, their trainers will come back."  
  
Gray pondered that for a bit. His MAWILE might be better off if he raised it himself, but then again...

Next Chapter: The Village Idiotz-Nothing to do with the plot!


	7. Sucky Stuff

A/N: I haven't updated this in some time, have I? Okay, so Ally and Laine arrive together, then Shang (Did I get your name right? Sorry if it's wrong) then Holly. Okyu, this is going to be lyk the chapter of comings. And Shadow's staying for maybe a year and a half. Okyu. Hehehe...when I unlock the trade machine in Colosseum, I will absolutely OWN Tate and Liza!!!=)   
Snifflz...yea this chappie sucks. =( I can't think of ANYTHING...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not Natsume, Game Freak, the Pokemon Company, or the 'new' characters. [Shadow, Shang, Laine, Ally] Heck, I don't even own Isaac and Lydia. Well, I own Holly the EEVEELUTION Trainer.  
  
"What was that?" something had darted into the shadows. No one knew what it was, it simply came and left. But, it would soon play an important part in everyone's life...  
  
Ally and Laine had arrived in Mineral Town. Ally had bright purple eyes (They were almost white), blonde hair, and jeans and a white sweatshirt...[Review if you want to add anything]. Laine had blue eyes, khaki shorts, a navy blue sleeveless shirt, and black fingerless gloves. An ABSOL and a DELCATTY followed them both.  
  
Meanwhile Shadow was training her POKEMON. "AH! HURRY SABER,JIN, ATTACK WITH SHADOW ASSAULT AND SHADOW SLASH NOW!...ERR...HAYATE,RAI!HIT THEM WITH A DASH AND SLAM!SHIN,SLASH!GO FOR IT! STRIKE THEM NOW! sighs from yelling so much...ah...well that's it for training guys go take a break." [Yeah, I just copied it from your 't think of anything else. I suck! You know wat? I'm not gonna put in Krystal and Hiro...hehehe...]  
  
There was another stranger in town. He was wearing almost all black, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to cut straight into Ann's soul. It scared her a bit, but there was nothing she could do about that. "Hello! Welcome to the Inn!" she greeted him. The Stranger barely nodded. "I'm Ann! What brings you to Mineral Town?"  
  
"Nice to meet you Ann. Um...I'm looking for someone...they were headed in this direction. Oh yeah and I'm Shang."  
  
He took Ann by surprise. Sometimes, when you see someone wearing all black, you don't exactly expect them to be so polite. [He...no offense Shang/Wolf McCloud!]  
  
Entering Mineral Town was yet another stranger. Her motions seemed fluid, and she also looked lost in thought. Her ebony hair was tied back with a dark green band. A sword was sheathed at her side. She seemed jumpy and overly nervous. Then again, that could have just been a figment of Isaac's imagination. UMBREON [THE Moonlight POKEMON! Oh yeah!] and ESPEON trotted alongside her. [You know what RuRu; I'm going to give you ESPEON. Okay.] UMBREON'S yellow rings glowed when he glared at Isaac. ESPEON glared at UMBREON with her perfect obsidian eyes-and UMBREON calmed down. Their trainer seemed to take no notice.  
  
Popuri and Karen were absorbed in their battle on Isaac's farm. SPINDA against ROSELIA. Flowers against a Dancing Panda. This ought to be interesting, thought Lydia.  
  
Neither POKEMON had been trained very well. However both had been pampered to death. Karen and Popuri, both having any clue about battling, just kept using the attacks/techniques they thought sounded best. Karen used Swords Dance a lot, while Popuri just kept using Sweet Scent. It dragged on forever. And ever. And ever. Until finally Karen had the sense to use scratch. All of those sword dances knocked out Roselia in one hit.  
  
The Stranger (The one with UMBREON) stopped at Isaac and Lydia's farm. "I need to use your PC." Was all she said. Jack's old house had been turned into a total POKECENTER.  
  
Isaac looked at her curiously. The Stranger did something on the PC and withdrew a couple of Nest Balls. Isaac got to look at her trainer card. "I AM COOL" [I was bored, so my trainer card really says that...hehehe. If you want, you can give me what your Trainer Card says.] Holly Suzuhara, 14 years old.  
  
Isaac asked hopefully, "Do you have any POKEMON you want raised here?" The Stranger shook her head and went outside. She let out all of her POKEMON. She didn't have any POKEMON except for EEVEELUTIONS. EEVEE, UMBREON, ESPEON, VAPOREON, JOLTEON, and FLAREON. Each one seemed well trained and friendly.  
  
It was a slow day today, and Isaac asked Holly if she wanted to battle. She shook her head and set off for the inn. [Sigh...I only did that because I can't remember what POKEMON he has. --"I suck.]  
  
At the Inn  
  
Gray, Cliff, Ann, and Lydia were playing Spoons. Lydia grabbed a spoon, but none of the others noticed. However they did when they saw that she wasn't moving...  
  
"You lose, Gray!" Ann chided. Gray shook his head. "You're holding a pen, not a spoon. You took the wrong thing..." And so Ann lost. [Sigh...I suck even more at plot...]  
  
Everyone stopped when the double doors opened. They couldn't see who was standing there. Ann was the first to get up. "Hello! Welcome to the Inn...can I help you?" Whoever it was stepped out of the light. Holly.  
  
"My name is Holly Suzuhara. And I could use a room here for the night."  
  
"Okay!" Ann said cheerfully. "But you'll have to do something first."  
  
"I have 500 G. How many nights will that get me?"  
  
"Not money. First you have to pick someone. Gray or Cliff?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Since Gray was kicked out of his house you have to share a room with one of them. In the summer Kai's gonna be in Cliff's room and I think Shang is in Gray's room..."  
  
"Gak never mind! I think I'll just go stay with Karen."  
"You know Karen?"  
  
"She's from the city, no? I know her. She used to live in Hoenn. I met her a long time ago...in Sootopolis City."  
  
"Come on UMBREON. Let's go to the Supermarket."  
  
And that was the last Ann saw of her that day.  
  
A/N: After a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG case of writer's block I finally got this lameness up. Bleah. If you think it's as horrible as I think it's horrible -Doesn't make sense... Fine. If you think it's horrible, flame me. I'm not particularly proud of this chapter. 


	8. To Sootopolis and Back

A/N: Yeah, I finally decided to update. I'm going through my Angelic Layer craze right now, and I'm thinking about writing something for that. Anyways, this chapter will mainly be about the stories of the travelers. But this next part is mainly up to you: Jack/Ann or Cliff/Ann or Isaac/Ann? And then Lydia/Cliff or Lydia/Gray? That part is up to you...or you can do this! Blankety, blankety, BLANK. Chapter 8: To Sootopolis and Back  
  
The Inn was crowded that night. "Crap." Ann muttered under her breath. [Sigh...I hate swearing...] "There's so many people...Dad's gonna have me do so much work!" Shadow, Holly, and Shang stayed away from the crowd. Eventually, Holly and Shang went to go talk, but Shadow...uhh...stayed...in...the...shadows? [I suck] But finally, around 12 [it's Friday], she, too, went to go talk. Rick (drunk as heck as usual) turned to the newcomers. "So...where did you come from?" the entire Inn was silent as everyone turned to look at the travelers.  
  
Holly said casually, "Hoenn." The villagers glanced at each other. In a secluded little town like this in the middle of nowhere, you don't really know where that is. However, the other 'newcomers', Cliff, and Gray were interested. "What city?" asked Gray. "Sootopolis."  
  
"You beat Wallace, right?"  
  
"It was easy. JOLTEON and FLAREON did most of the work, though."  
  
"FLAREON? Why FLAREON?"  
  
"The ice types."  
  
"Forgot about those. So anyways, tell us about your journey!"  
  
"Well, I started in Little Root Town..." "...and then I moved into Sootopolis. What about you, Shang?"  
  
Shang said nothing for a second. "...saw someone. Followed them here." He said mysteriously. [Whee a sub-story!]  
  
Rick turned drunkly to Karen.[She's not normally there on Fridays, but all the villagers are here today.] "Wahh bou' yooz, Sha'o?" (What about you, Shadow?) Karen glared at him. "You, Rick, are simply impossible. Shadow's over THERE, you idiot!" She turned away, muttering something like, "...stupid...mumble mumble idiotic...[censored]..."  
  
Rick passed out on the floor. No one noticed.  
  
Shadow said simply, "I came from New Bark Town, and became the POKEMON CHAMPION. After hearing about these rare POKEMON, I decided to chase them. So far I have the Red GYARADOS, the Golden SCYTHER, and a bunch of others. I'm trying for the Black DRAGONAIR now...the most powerful mythical creature there is!"  
  
"Even though I'm chasing them now, I guess the ones that are the most loyal to me are the ones I always carry. There...is a 'title' for people like me...myth chasers, and wind casters...but mostly, psycho-maniacs. I'm trying to change that...to prove that there actually are legends that exist." And with that she –seemed- to melt into the shadows. She was just...gone.  
  
"Ow! Muk, stoppit! Ack!" A crashing sound came from outside. Ann opened the door and a strange purple blob carrying a 17-year-old lookin' guy inside. "MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKK!!!!!" [Tee-hee...having fun with holding down keys! Hehe...=3]  
  
The guy somehow got unstuck from the blob. No one could tell what color his clothes were since they were stained purple from the blob. "A MUK..." Gray muttered. "This is interesting..."  
  
"Haa...sorry about that!" said the person. "Hi, I'm Harley and I come from Goldenrod City! This is my MUK!" He grinned (Impishly, too! =) ) "Can I have a room for the night?"  
  
"Uhh...sure!" Doug said (Not very surely at all) "Erm...Ann, could you please show our...guest...to his room? That will be 300G, please."  
  
"No prob-Hey, MUK! Quit stealing my money, will ya?" MUK glared at his trainer before thrusting several gold coins into Harley's hand. They, like Harley, were stained purple.  
  
"Eh...tonight's stay will be free, Harley!" Doug said, trying to sound cheery.  
  
"Hey, thanks! Tomorrow will be 300G, then?"  
  
"Uh...yea."  
  
"Hah-"he tripped and fell into MUK. Gray could see how his clothes got stained purple. [If you don't like your story/description, review and I'll replace this chapter with something else!]  
  
Next day  
  
"Did you know?" Rick asked Isaac and Shang. "Know what?" asked Isaac. "Tomorrow is Spring Thanksgiving! Guys give cookies to the girls and they pay you back at Winter Thanksgiving!" Shang and Isaac both stared at him.  
  
"Cookies?"  
  
"Yeah! You have to bake them yourself—Jack has a kitchen and an oven!"  
  
"That's Lydia's job." Commented Isaac.  
  
"And I don't have a kitchen to use." Said Shang.  
  
"Plus, I don't know how to cook human food." Added Isaac. "POKEMON food, sure!"  
  
"Well I don't think they would like POKEMON food cookies." Said Rick. "This year, I'm making my special corn egg cookies! I'm sure Karen would love them!"  
  
'Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...' thought Isaac and Shang.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
A/N: Yes, there will be some romance in this eventually. That' why I asked earlier. If no one wants that, then say so! Next chapter: The Spring Thanksgiving Saga: Disaster in the Kitchen. Also, I'm kind of exploring with this fic. There might be a war later, Mineral Town against Big Rock Village: the POKEMON BATTLES. I don't know, there has to be –some- action with the POKEMON. But if it's as long as I plan to make it (16 chapters or more) then the war will start kicking in, oh, say, around chapter 13. But if you don't want that either, please tell me.  
  
Until next time, I love Oujirou to death! Squee I wuv you Oujirou!!! LOL buh Oujirou is such a cutie! hearts float in the sky Ha ha. Until next time [for real this time] Sayanora! Domo arigato gozaimas for reading this! 


	9. Spring Thanksgiving Saga! Disaster in th

A/N: Wow. I decided to update again. Do you have any idea how rare it is that I start two chapters on the same day? Whatever. It's not like you people care anyways. On with the story.  
  
Chapter 9: The Spring Thanksgiving Saga: Disaster in the Kitchen This chapter stars: Isaac and Shang Minors: All of the girls, some villagers  
  
Trying desperately to shake off the thought of revolting corn egg cookies, Isaac and Shang went to the supermarket for supplies. Since there was no chocolate, they decided to make sugar cookies. "250G, please." Stated Jeff. "But if you want, you can start a tab...everyone else does."  
  
"No, no." replied Shang. "Here you go. 400G."  
  
"4-4-400?! But...it cost two hu-"  
  
"But the store is in trouble." Said Shang 'innocently'.  
  
And so Isaac and Shang left the supermarket.  
  
Fifteen minutes later   
  
"FIRE!!!!" yelled Isaac. Shang grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it all over the oven. "This is impossible."  
  
"We followed the instructions exactly! What went wrong?" QUILAVA scampered away. "HEY!" Isaac chased after it. QUILAVA let out a string of fire and burned Isaac. "GET BACK HERE! YOU RUINED THEM DIDN'T YOU?!" QUILAVA escaped quickly. [Shang in the background: "Eh...this guy has some serious problems with that QUILAVA doesn't he..."]  
  
And we go back to the kitchen   
  
Cookie batch #2: Shang knocks a can of salt into the mixing bowl. Failure. Cookie batch #3: Isaac accidentally puts in POKEMON FOOD instead of chocolate chips he found in the refrigerator. Failure. Cookie batch #4: Shang and Isaac forget to take the cookies out of the oven after half an hour. Failure. Cookie batch #5: QUILAVA makes his re-appearance and burns Isaac. Again. Failure. 2 hours and many cookie batches later Cookie batch #23 (remember, they don't bake ALL of them): Shang and Isaac do everything right! Success! YAY! And so we begin departure for Isaac and Shang's cookie distribution project Wow what a long title.  
  
[Note: They are going around in a circle around town. Starting with the poultry farm. Aww how sweet, they even baked cookies for May]  
  
They arrived at the poultry farm. "Aren't you kind of late?" Popuri asked. "Sorry." Apologized Isaac. He and Shang held out the packages of cookies. "Happy Spring Thanksgiving!"  
  
The Yodel Ranch was pretty empty. The cows and sheep had already been put inside. "MAY!" the little 8-year-old looked up. "Happy Spring Thanksgiving!" May smiled happily. "THANKS! These were the only cookies I got all day! Even Stu..." she hurried inside yelling, "GRAMPA!!!"  
  
The Inn was packed with people. Ann was wiping a table. "You probably have too many cookies today but Happy Spring Thanksgiving." Shang said politely. [Which reminds me, if any of you want to be paired up with a character in the game, let me know. But if two people want the same person, well...] Ann took the package. "Actually, I only got cookies from 2 people. Thanks. You two and Cliff. And Gray, but that's probably just because Dad made him. So...thanks." She turned back to the table.  
  
Lydia was typing on her laptop. She was muttering something about accounts and money. Shang and her cousin burst in with a flourish. "HAPPY SPRING THANKSGIVING!" Isaac yelled. Lydia looked up. "Huh? What is this?"  
  
"Spring Thanksgiving! Hasn't anyone told you? Hasn't anyone given you cookies?"  
  
"No. Cliff gave me a flower, but no cookies."  
  
"Too bad! Well, Happy Spring Thanksgiving!" he dropped the cookies on the pew and left.  
  
"Happy Spring Thanksgiving Elli!"  
  
"Cookies? Thank you...but I already have enough cookies as it is. You're kind of late aren't you?"  
  
"Sorry...he..."  
  
"Happy Spring Thanksgiving Karen!"  
  
"Hey thanks! I don't like sweets very much but it's nice to see newcomers making cookies! They're obviously going to be better than Rick's. He and Gray and Cliff gave me cookies Well Cliff gave me a smooth stone, but...these are going to be better than Corn Egg Cookies definitely! Even if they're BURNED! Thanks!"  
  
The last stop was the library for Mary. But when they went inside, the two stumbled across something unexpected... A/N: Well I need ideas. Help me. And thanks to Muk Master, Wolf McCloud, xZero84x (Your reviews always make me laugh! Thanks!) , RuRu (The first reviewer! Thanks!) and Belina! 


	10. TwoFaced

A/N: I have decided that I will be boring. You'll see. Mary's 'surprise' is really stupid. Maybe I'll get a new idea later and write something better. And it is final. I have decided to make it Holly/Falkner just 'cause Falkner's cool. And it's either Shadow/Isaac or Shadow/Lance. SHADOWLANCE! I laugh at the stupidest things. Anyways, I guess it will be Shadow/Lance? Sorry Isaac! Meh. He can have Ann or something. I dunno. =)  
  
Chapter 10: Two-Faced This chapter stars: Holly, Isaac, and Shang Minors: Pretty much everyone else It's: still Spring Thanksgiving. New characters: the un-named person at the end  
  
...the library was littered with books. Mary gasped and looked up. "Uh...there was this...this...this...thing that I had to do...um...yeah! That's it! This thing I had to do...hehe..." Isaac blinked. The library, which was usually so pristine, was scattered with books all around. Some were on the ground, others piled on the desk, and some were being held by TEDDIURSA.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Isaac. Shang stayed silent.  
  
Mary hesitated. "It's research." She admitted finally. "It's all for...a book I must write...yes, a book..." Everything was still for a moment. Mary opened up a little bit and relaxed. "It's a novel I'm writing. I've been researching...POKEMON. Where are they from? Are they like animals? Or perhaps more...human? I want to find out. Whatever I can find, I want to include it in my novel."  
  
"I see." Replied Isaac. "Perhaps we shouldn't disturb you." Shang put in.  
  
"Yes, we should leave." Isaac nodded. "Good-bye, and a Happy Spring Thanksgiving to you." They dropped the cookies on the desk where there weren't any books. After they had left Mary picked up the packages and whispered, "Thank you." They were the only cookies she had received all day...  
  
--En Route to Ally and Laine—  
  
"Y'know, I wonder what was up with Mary back there?" Isaac thought aloud.  
  
"She didn't seem to want anyone seeing her like that." Shang replied swiftly.  
  
"That's an understatement."  
  
"Mary is always alone, isn't she?"  
  
"That's an understatement. Have you ever seen her with the other village girls?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Hmm...maybe she writes books because...oh never mind. It's a stupid theory. Maybe she's two faced though...maybe that's the side no one really has ever seen before..."  
  
--Ally and Laine—  
  
Ally and Laine had been staying at the Inn, but as of that moment they were on Mother's Hill. It was a big surprise for them to see Isaac and Shang running up with two packages.  
  
"HAPPY SPRING THANKSGIVING!" Isaac yelled quickly while tossing them the two bags. "I HAVE TO GO BYE!" he sped back down the hill.  
  
"What's with him?" asked Laine.  
  
"Don't mind him." Said Shang. "Supposedly AGGRON is really picky about being fed on time. And also, supposedly AGGRON Iron-tails him if Isaac is late."  
  
"I see." Said Ally.  
  
And so we return to our regular festivities. Yay? =)  
  
--The COBAYE Farm: Isaac and Lydia's Day Care Center—  
  
"AAAAAAAAAK!" Isaac was being chased around the farm by AGGRON. [Lydia in the background: "You have some serious problems with POKEMON, don't you?"] [A/N: This was just to prove to you how stupid I really can be =P] After AGGRON finally stopped, Isaac gave it some [Translated from AGGRON scale: 50 pounds of PKMN Food, 50 pounds of Iron Ore] food.  
  
--Meanwhile back at the Inn—{This has nothing to do with POKEMON} Ann was talking to Cliff. "Can I help you?" she asked. Cliff shook his head. Doug gestured for Cliff to go over to the counter. "Hey, Cliff, what do you think of Ann?"  
  
"Ann?" Cliff flushed slightly. "Um...she's aiite."  
  
Doug frowned. He had –hoped- that –someone- would like Ann. Even if it was just a little bit. He was obviously oblivious to a little something...  
  
Holly was training with her EEVEELUTIONS on the beach. "All right, good! VAPOREON, bubble beam! JOLTEON, electrify that! FLAREON, frame it all with a fire spin! UMBREON, shadow ball! ESPEON, psychic the entire beach! EEVEE, finish it off with a Hyper Beam!"  
  
"Good...you're all in great condition." Holly rubbed her neck. She wondered which two she would have to pick for the Mt. Battle Special Challenge. She would only be allowed two POKEMON, so she would have to pick two of her precious EEVEELUTIONS. It was too bad there wasn't a ghost evolution.  
  
It wasn't long before the competition. It was simply a colosseum challenge. A knockout, if you would. 10 top trainers competing in this. Holly was one of the lucky ones; after all, her EEVEELUTIONS were pretty high in level and her team didn't have a single weakness. If a fighting type attacked, then ESPEON would take care of it. If a water type came up, then JOLTEON would finish that. And so on and so forth. Unfortunately, with dark types it wasn't as easy. But it was possible to finish them off, of course. It might be harder. It would be easier if there was a fighting evolution. However, there wasn't, and Holly would just have to cope with that.  
  
But which two would she choose? Holly was going to have to leave in a couple of days to get to the ORRE REGION. Epsilon, after all, was coming to get her. [A/N: In the GCN game I named the "hero" EPSILON]  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
Holly looked up. "!-"  
  
A/N: And since I'm –naturally- too lazy to write the rest I'll leave it at that. I didn't really put in much description of what Holly was wearing, did I? Chinese clothes. Originally she was going to be from Japan, but I decided on China.Still Japanese though. As for her clothes, picture FUJISAKI MADOKA from Angelic Layer. Her last name is Mihara but what the heck. And pick two EEVEELUTIONS (you can pick Eevee) for Holly. The two most popular will make it to the Mount Battle Top 10 challenge!  



	11. Ventures in Stuff

A/N: And the final decision is...[drum roll] UMBREON AND ESPEON! Yes! The two [perfect] EEVEELUTIONS practically! Ha. Does anyone else want to enter the Mount Battle 10 Trainer Challenge? Prize is 10,000 POKEDOLLARS and a TM30 (Shadow Ball). LOL. So we continue with Holly's ventures in stuff. Sure. Oh and by the way, this chapter contains references to Angelic Layer.  
  
A shadow fell across ESPEON'S face. ESPEON growled slightly and used Morning Sun to recover from the damage from UMBREON'S bite. The shadow disappeared.  
  
"Falkner?" Holly blinked. "What are you doing here?" [Okay...since I don't know if Falkner's your OLDER brother or your YOUNGER brother I'll make him your older bro for now, Shadow! Tell me what it is!]  
  
"Just visiting Shadow!" Falkner replied cheerfully. "Epsilon's coming! So which two POKEMON have you chosen?"  
  
"UMBREON and ESPEON."  
  
"Your best, huh? I'd say so..." he chuckled. "I want a rematch! I've gotten better!"  
  
"I should hope so." Holly responded.  
  
"Who are you to talk?"  
  
"What do you mean? I OWNED you with ESPEON back at Violet!"  
  
"Too true, too true." Falkner smiled one last time and left.  
  
---  
  
Epsilon hopped off his bike at the edge of town. Yuki had agreed to wait for him at ROGAN'S house at AGETO Village. [By the way, ROGAN is EAUGUN (sp?)]  
  
Isaac was tending to the MAGCARGO. "Come on, MAGCARGO. You can move out of that hole! Look! I brought you a treat!" MAGCARGO refused to move out of the hole in the ground, which it seemed to believe it was stuck in. [Does that make sense?] "Hey! Can you tell me where Mihara-kun is?" Epsilon had sandy hair and mirrored sunglasses. Most of the time, he didn't wear them. For some odd reason, he had a white stripe on his face.  
  
Isaac looked up at the odd newcomer. "Sure...I think she's on the beach."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Epsilon had a strange device on his arm. Known as the snag machine, he could use it to capture a trainer's POKEMON. Fortunately, he wasn't evil and captured 'Shadow POKEMON' from CIPHER. Formerly, he was known as the best SNAGGER on Team SNAGEM. [Tee Hee...I tried to be evil! I told my 'boss' that I wanted to! But they wouldn't let me =(]  
  
Holly was feeding her precious EEVEELUTIONS. Epsilon tapped her on the shoulder. "FLAREON, you know the drill." She muttered. The perfect defense. FLAREON did a quick fire spin, allowing Holly time to turn around and see exactly who it was. "Epsilon. Hello."  
  
"FLAREON, you can stop now."  
  
Epsilon shrugged and said, "Yuki is waiting for us. Let's go." And so Holly left with Epsilon.  
  
Meanwhile Shadow was dragging FALKNER around the village. "And THIS is Laine, and THIS is Ally..."  
  
[Think Tamayo and Koutarou from Angelic Layer]  
  
Lydia stared at them. "Is that guy all right?" (They're from different regions) "Don't worry, he's still alive!" Shadow called cheerfully. "And by the way, FALKNER, that's Lydia! She's Isaac's cousin!"  
  
"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUK!!!" Harley stumbled out of the town square, MUK close at his heels. "H...ey..." MUK was strangling him.  
  
(Sweatdrop)  
  
Lydia sighed. "QUILAVA, if you would..."  
  
"MUK!" MUK was revolted at QUILAVA'S flamethrower. "Thanks." Harley rubbed some...muck off of his arm. "Hey Harley! This is my loser brother, Falkner!" "HEY!" [I kind of borrowed that from Angelic Layer...LOL]  
  
Harley nodded. "Uh...huh..."  
  
"How's your day?" Harris the policeman seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Harley flinched and moved closer to MUK.  
  
"Hi Harris! This is my stupid brother Falkner!" "HEY!"  
  
Harris smiled. "Stay out of trouble!" he said before disappearing into the Inn. Harley sighed as if he had been holding his breath the entire time the officer was there. "Is something wrong?" Lydia asked.  
  
"N...oooooooo..."  
  
Shadow and Falkner didn't hear the rest of it because Shadow dragged Falkner off already.  
  
"ANN! THERE you are! Meet FALKNER! He's from Violet City (? Is it city? Or is it town?)  
  
Ann stared at the now unconscious Falkner. "Is that guy all right?"  
  
"Don't worry, he's still alive!" Shadow laughed.  
  
MT. BATTLE CHALLENGE  
  
Holly bit her lip. Even if it was just 10 challenges, it was levels 90-100. It ended with SOMEK. If she won, then...  
  
"Hello." Said the receptionist. "Will you be entering the 90-100 challenge, or a knockout challenge, or a regular challenge?"  
  
"I guess a knockout challenge...instead of a regular challenge..."  
  
"What level POKEMON will you be registering?"  
  
"Um...levels 70 and 70."  
  
"And what two POKEMON do you choose?"  
  
"UMBREON and ESPEON."  
  
"Keep in mind that instead of fighting 10 trainers, this competition will include 8 trainers fighting to be the best! Try your hardest! Okay, step through either green door on the left, or the blue door on the right."  
  
Holly took a deep breath as she stepped through the green door...  
  
CHALLENGE 1: Battle Girl Cindy vs. EEVEELUTION trainer Holly  
  
"I won't lose!" Cindy muttered as she walked onto the battle stage...  
  
Meanwhile, back at Mineral Town, Falkner and Shadow were at the Inn. "So anyways, Falkner, what do you think so far about Mineral Town?"  
  
"Hmm...it's nice."  
  
"Is that all you have to say?"  
  
"Yes. I believe it is."  
  
Shadow looked unconvinced, but she didn't comment.  
  
"Oh, and by the way, Lance is coming."  
  
"Lance...?" Shadow's normally collected and cool mind drifted through the memories of the infamous dragon tamer...  
  
Karen burst into the clinic. "ELLI! You won't believe it!"  
  
"Calm down, Karen! What is it?"  
  
"Well, you know how we thought that Falkner was going to be the last person coming in a really, REALLY long time?"  
  
Elli looked skeptical. "Are you saying someone ELSE is coming?"  
  
Karen nodded enthusiastically. "YEA!"  
  
"And just where did you hear this? If it was the Town Square, Karen, I'll never believe it."  
  
"NO! I heard it at the Inn! There was a telephone call for that other guy, Falkner!"  
  
---  
  
Cindy tried to intimidate Holly with a glare. Holly didn't pay attention. "COME ON COME ON! LET'S SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF! MACHOP!" yelled Cindy (Actually, her name was Cyndy, but the registration girl made a mistake). Cindy smirked. This 'Holly' didn't have anything really important like this on her Trainer Card. She was bound to be a novice. Cindy, being the battle girl she was, thought that Holly would lose for sure. 'Holly', Cindy thought. 'You're going down.' "GO! MAKUHITA! WE'LL SHOW YOU TRUE GUTS!" she called. "I won't lose to a newbie like you." She muttered. [BTW, Battle Girl Cyndy is waiting for you in Ruby version /Sapphire Version outside of Meteor Falls on the beach.]  
  
--  
  
Ally was training her ABSOL at Isaac's farm. "Good! Now, try Razor Wind! GREAT! ABSOL, combine it all!"  
  
ABSOL moved smoothly and with grace. A smooth swords dance sharply rose its attack power. Like water, it flowed from one spot to another, and a razor wind distorted Ally's view of it for a while. Slash brought it to the very edge of the field. The wind rippled the grass.  
  
Isaac watched through a window. 'Wow. It's like watching an old samurai movie...'  
  
Some samurai movies are set with battles in large, grassy, fields.  
  
"Good going, ABSOL! Come on, let's go to the Inn!"  
  
---  
  
Ann was chatting with Cliff. Cain brooded darkly in a corner. When Ally entered, Ann bounded up to her. "Did you know?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"There's a guy coming! And just when we thought no one else would come too! We had to use up our Inn extension already! We need to get another one for this new guy!"  
  
Cain snapped at them. Cliff shot his PIDGEOT a glare before saying, "You don't need to get an extension...I'm going to stay at the COBAYE. I think Cain needs therapy." That did it. Cain screeched and started to attack.  
  
"EEKS! Cliff, stop that thing!" Ann shrieked. Cliff shrugged and stood still. Ally stood in silence watching it all. Suddenly Cliff grabbed Cain's leg. "Do that again," he said quietly. "And we'll see to it that you're a present to the Inn...if you get what I'm saying..." he gestured to the kitchen. Cain grumbled a bit and went back to brooding in the dark corner.  
  
--  
  
"Go. UMBREON and ESPEON."  
  
Cindy flinched noticeably. 'A psychic type?' she panicked. 'This isn't good! And those are really tough POKEMON! MAKUHITA and MACHOP are only level 69!'  
  
'But never mind. We'll take out that UMBREON first! Maybe we can dodge the attacks!' [BTW, battles are based on the show, not the game. At least for this 'challenge'.]  
  
"ALL RIGHT! WE'LL BE THE FIRST AND BEST OFFENSE! MAKUHITA, CROSS CHOP!"  
  
Holly smiled sadly. 'But,' a voice echoed in her head. 'The road to victory is filled with many fallen trainers.' "True." Holly whispered.  
  
"Umbreon, use mean look. Espeon, just stall for a bit." Holly said calmly. Cindy couldn't hear her. One of Cindy's big flaws was predictability. Yelling out the attacks...well, It was, after all, the mark of a simple beginner.  
  
Cindy was beginning to grow suspicious. Why wasn't ESPEON attacking? MACHOP and MAKUHITA froze from mean look already.  
  
"Espeon. Let's finish this. Psychic." Holly murmured.  
  
To the audience, the battlefield bent and twisted out of shape as Psychic distorted their vision. When the field was cleared again, MACHOP and MAKUHITA had fainted.  
  
--  
  
End Chapter 11  
  
A/N: So how did y'all like it? You didn't, ne? Anyhoo, the next chapter is Lance's arrival! And if any of you want to enter the Mount Battle Challenge, go right ahead. The first one to review meets Holly in the finals. Anyhow, I know I said this chapter would contain references to Angelic Layer. I lied. Actually, it shall be next chapter.  
  
[Translated from stupid speak: I was bored of this chapter and so I lied about it to make people think I actually am smart.]  
  
[Translated from the translator: I was too lazy to put in the Angelic Layer stuff so it will be next chapter.] 


	12. The Prince of the Layer

Ohayo! Holly Mihara here! Plebia isn't here at the moment, so I'm going to do this stuff for her!

**First off, she owns nothing but ME and that strange Mount Battle challenge! And it's not HER mount battle, it's the Orre Region's Mount Battle. But still, she owns that challenge!**

**Second off, she promises that THIS will be the chapter with the references to Angelic Layer!**

**Third off, Hematite apologizes for lying last time!**

**Hematite: I'm back! -Hugs Oujirou- Don't own anything as usual! Though I wish I could own Oujirou here, but sadly, he belongs to Clamp. =( -- TT**

**Oujirou: Cheer up. I'll let you hug me today.**

**Hematite: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Oujirou: And by the way, if you want to be in the story more, review please! Hematite likes reviews. And so your characters are based on your reviews, no?**

**123456789101112**

Lance walked slowly up the path to Mineral Town. "This better be worth it, Shadow." He mumbled. It had taken him 12 hours to fly on his DRAGONITE to Windy Hill City, then 6 hours to ride to the outskirts of Mineral Town, and an hour to walk there because there had been a steaming mud slide. His [insert color here] hair still had traces of mud and grime in it. The normally pristine clothes had been turned into a disgusting shade of brown. He smelled putrid and felt horrible. "If this isn't worth it, Shadow..." he grumbled. "I'll kill you."

123456789101112

Next challenge: Against Professor Rhys

Holly grimaced as she looked at her next challenger. He had a steel and fire combo team. That wasn't good. There wasn't going to be any advantage against his ELECTRODE. The RAPIDASH might work to their advantage, though...

"I've studied your technique. You're quite famous throughout Hoenn AND Johto. But me, I have exclusive POKEMON from Kanto. And they've been boosted, too, so don't count on winning."

"I have managed to get my hands on numerous file reports on you from Team Rocket, Mihara. You can't win."

"I know your every POKEMON, Mihara, and let this fact haunt you as you go down."

Holly rolled her eyes. Some POKEMON had intimidate, but this PROFESSOR...he was probably a newbie researcher who assumed that facts and numbers could determine everything. Her 'technique', eh? Well, there was always a backup solution and she could already get one forming in her head. Fake it. It was so simple, but the professor probably wouldn't get it because his precious file reports didn't tell him anything.

123456789101112

Lance finally pulled into Mineral Town. "Ugh...this is disgusting!"

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but could you please tell me the way to Mount Battle?" Lance turned around, annoyed at whoever it was...

He had dark blue hair, amazing dark blue eyes, and a spotless black uniform. [It's everyone's favorite bi-shounen! Presenting the amazing...] The guy smiled at him. "Well? My sister is battling, and since she never missed one of mine, I want to see her battle."

"Who's your sister?"

"Holly Mihara."

123456789101112

"ESPEON, UMBREON...if we lose this...I'll never forgive myself."

123456789101112

Shadow greeted Lance at the Inn. "What happened to you?" she asked, looking him up and down.

"Ugh. You would look the same if YOU got practically run over by a steaming mud slide!"

"What about that guy?" Shadow pointed at Holly's brother. "He looks fine to me, and besides, you can TELL he took the same path as you did."

"How?" Lance inquired.

"Look at the bottoms of his shoes."

True enough, his shoes had traces of mud on them. However, he had someone miraculously kept himself clean.

"That guy? He was asking how to get to Mount Battle."

"So we'll tell him!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Hello, I'm Shadow and this is my loser brother's friend Lance. Nice to meet you. I hear you're looking for Mount Battle?..."

"It's nice to meet you too, Shadow-san. Lance-san. Anyways, I am looking for Mount Battle and if you could..."

"By the way, my name is Oujirou."

"Oujirou? That name sounds really familiar..."

"Well...some people do know me as the Prince of-"he was cut off abruptly.

"A PRINCE?! HERE? In MINERAL TOWN? You're ROYALTY? Doesn't that mean Holly is a...a..."

Oujirou laughed at Lance's outburst. "No. Not ROYALTY, really, I am actually known for Angelic Layer..."

"HEY! I know who you are now!" Shadow exclaimed. "Mihara Oujirou, the Prince of the Layer, one of the best deuses in the entire world!"

"...Yes."

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" Lance asked. [Man, I made him an idiot. Oops.]

Oujirou blinked. "It's a...game. Anyways, could you please-"

Lance was ranting about something.

"Um...I-"

Lance snapped his sentence and kept ranting.

"Shadow, could you please tell me how to get to Mount Battle?"

"That way, turn left, over the Inoue Mountain."

"Thank you."

Oujirou left Lance just ranting.

A/N: BLAH. So, I'm back! Wow, lotsa [Ham-chat, right there] have wanted to be in the story now. Um, I'll try to fit it in...

{Holly: Shut up! YOU WILL! I COMMAND YOU TO!}

{Hematite-or-Futoi Usagi: Holly, be quiet.}

{Holly: Shut up!}

{Oujirou: slaps his forehead Holly...}

{Holly: Okay, okay...}


	13. Stupidity prevails

A/N: Ahh, been such a long time since I last updated. Heh...I enjoyed my wonderful "vacation" called SCHOOL! sob Anyhoo, I'm updated now. I should turn the song to True Light. It makes me hyper. But first, to my lovely and wonder-fiffle reviewers.

**xZero84x**: Haha. Maybe you should go with Isaac, Shadow! Sorry for making Lance a dummy! Oh and I TOTALLY agree with you about the Prince of the Layer! Heehee. Hee. Hee. Okay I'm done being insane with this part now.

**Muk Master**: Haha thanks Harley! Maybe she will, maybe she won't...I tell you, it's totally unpredictable! Okay fine. Goddess am I really making everything that predictable???

**BlackNinjaJin**: Ooh a new one! I'll try to stick you in! First, you'll enter Mount Battle...if you don't want to tell me okay!!??

**RuRu**: If it's not too late, I hope you get better! I'm trying to make this chapter a battling chapter and some more with everyone's characters!

**AngeNightShadow**: (Did I spell that right? Sorry if I didn't!) Ahh! Another new one! Okay I'll try to put you in there too!

AHAHAHAHA this is hilarious! This person just told me to delete the entire thing. Haha. I'd like to see them do better, ne? Okay I'm not ALWAYS that insane. Okay fine maybe I am. Oo

Weird guy in a cop outfit: Hematite? I'm here to arrest you!

Hematite: Huh? For what?

Weird guy in a cop outfit: I believe you have not put in a disclaimer recently!

Hematite: IDONOTOWNHARVESTMOONITBELONGSTONATSUMEANDIDONTOWNOUJIROUHEBELONGSTOCLAMPANDIDONTOWNPOKEMONITBELONGSTOTHEPOKEMONCOMPANY! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! runs away

Cop: HEY!

**GRAPES TASTE GOOD!**

Holly and Rhys were now locked in battle. "ELECTRODE! Spinning spark! Zap the entire field! RAPIDASH! Rapid Fire Spin, maneuver them so they spin around the entire field! The eons will not escape today." 'Es-cahpay.' Thought Holly, thinking about Finding Nemo.

"UMBREON!" she called. "Secret Power!" BTW, in Colosseum he comes with that move. RAPIDASH became paralyzed, but ELECTRODE stayed strong, charging at ESPEON.

"ESPEON! Jump out of the way and Psychic that RAPIDASH!"

"UMBREON! Bite the RAPIDASH!" 'We have to prevent him from using Self-destruct,' she thought.

The Rapidash was brought down rather easily. After a few bites and psychics, after all, nearly nothing can beat that, it fell. The fiery walls that surrounded the field scalded ESPEON briefly. It cringed and jumped into the center.

Rhys smiled. Perhaps he was trying to look evil, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Holly thought about it for a minute. There was no backup plan for this one, except to make up something on the spot. But there was no room to think as Electrode kept charging. Holly thought about what it did before. Spinning spark...spinning...there were multiple blind spots to that if the offender attacked right.

"All right then! ESPEON, UMBREON, start circling!"

"What?" the professor was shocked. What was this new tactic? She had never used this against any team before.

"What's this?" Yelled Battle Master Somek. "The East Side trainer, Mihara Holly, has started her POKEMON circling around the Electrode! And yet, this tactic is not double team! What is her strategy?"

Holly's brother watched. It was the same attack he had tried with Wizard against Athena once. An attack from the blind spot. Maybe it hadn't worked with Shuu, but it would probably work against an arrogant professor. "She can do it."

Rhys was shocked. Nothing in his notes had suggested anything about a NEW tactic she had devised. Perhaps his notes were outdated? He immediately sent his Electrode into a defensive spin.

"UMBREON! Attack...right...NOW!" UMBREON lunged forward and charged at Electrode. It wobbled a bit, then regained its balance, maintaining a defensive spin, this time electrified.

"ESPEON! Psychic...when...it's...facing...NOW!" ESPEON hit it full force with a charged psychic attack. The special defense of the enemy was lowered. "Good..." murmured Holly. "We just have to get it out of that spin. UMBREON, taunt!" The Electrode, now enraged by the offending UMBREON, launched itself into a self-destruct mode. "UMBREON, stand your ground! ESPEON, reflect!" The Electrode fainted just as Umbreon stumbled and ESPEON nearly collapsed.

Somek gave a shout. "UMBREON is still standing! ESPEON has risen to its feet! Electrode is UNABLE TO BATTLE! Mihara Holly...wins!" Holly sighed and smiled in content.edited by administrator Hematite I work for myself!: contentment. Rhys frowned. Why had Electrode used self-destruct like that? He did not command it to do anything, only to stay in a defensive spin. And also, Electrode had been genetically altered to obey only commands, deny its very nature, and on top of that, just be content living on spark plugs. oO

LANCE HAS BEEN MADE AN IDIOT! DON'T SUE ME!

In the break room, Holly saw her brother. Who was somewhat 'occupied' at the moment. Read as: being mobbed by crazy fan girls from Tokyo and Kobe. I can't believe I made him Holly's brother! Sob

LANCE HAS BEEN MADE AN IDIOT! DON'T SUE ME!

Back in Mineral Town, Isaac and Lydia were cough cough discussing something.

"SONNA! Isaac, the Rapidash gets 3 cups of food, not two!"

"USO! It's two! See, look at this data sheet!"

"Stupid, that's from when Rapidash was sick and couldn't eat too much! I'm sure it's 3!"

"Non! It's supposed to be two, it's always been two, we've always fed it two cups so why should we change now? Rapidash is used to it and if we give her 3 cups of food she'll get fat."

"Well I suppose you want to starve her to death? If she doesn't eat enough, it's not healthy."

The cousins glared at each other for a minute. Lydia mumbled something in Japanese. Isaac muttered something in French. Finally, they gave up and gave Rapidash 2.5 cups for the time being. "Look, I'm telling you, it's 3!" hissed Lydia. Isaac brushed it off and gave Aggron his iron ore.

ISAAC AND LYDIA ARE SO TEMPERAMENTAL!

Next in Mount Battle:

-Shinji vs. Cool Trainer Boda (You can find him in Phenac Stadium in PKMN GC)

-Tomikazu vs. Cool Trainer Rewn (Same as Boda)

-Holly vs. Lady Venus (Pwahhahahahahah!)

BTW, Black, if you don't want to be in the contest, review please. Oh yes and minna-san, please tell me this. If you think an RP involving Pokemon and Harvest Moon would be a good idea, review please. If you DONT think it's a good idea, review anyways. Thank you!

A/N: Well that was strange. Gomen, none of the original characters were in this one. I had to write this really really fast so bare wid me here! Oh yes and also,

Supposing I made an RP board for Harvest Moon and POKEMON, with some CLAMP works involved, mwahahahaha would you join it?

I guess it could be possible if enough people want to do it.

Well until next time,

MA TA NE!


	14. The Summer Festival: Part 1

A/N: Well, I'm back. I'm not dead—I was working on Windy Hill Village, which is an RP Board I made. If you're interested in joining I mean, who wouldn't want to? After all, you get to be yourself instead of the twisted character in my imagination then please go to the following 

Thank you, if you would join! Post up your own fan fictions—I wanna see them 8D

A'iight, that was a long rant; time to get going! 8)

Chapter 14! Festival in Mineral Town: Who's following who?

The POKEMON Festival has come to town, thanks to Isaac and Lydia, the local caretakers of POKEMON! POKEMON can now compete in the Summer Festival I haven't indicated the festival earlier...it's summer and the tomato fight! Before Shang left for Mount Battle, he decided to take part in the Festival. Mwahahaha. If you didn't want to...uh...I needed filler content don't sue me please lol

EVENT ONE:

The POKEMON and Horse Race! Tsutsuji Cup! Azalea Cup

Gray walked over to Barley's house. After all, it was the Summer Festival and Saibara was, for once, letting him participate. Gray should do SOMETHING. And what better than competing in the Tsutsuji Cup?

MAWILE looked up at Sakura, a pretty, sleek, horse that ran like lightning when she put her mind to it. Her dapple-gray coat was pristine. But Gray didn't choose her. No: Gray chose Kinofuji, a chestnut colored horse that looked slow, and lazy. "MAWILE! MAA?" MAWILE asked him. Gray replied, "Sakura won't obey orders. Look at that defiant look in her eyes-Kinofuji may be slower, but he's reliable and trusting of people. He looks determined too-I'm sure he'll do better than Sakura." MAWILE nodded in understanding and helped Gray lead Kino out of the ranch.

"WHAT?" Rick exclaimed. "ARCANINE shouldn't be allowed to compete! Only HORSE animals and POKEMON are allowed to compete! ARCANINE is more like a dog!" Arcanine, annoyed, let loose a dragon rage at Rick's head Bwahahaha. Rick, singed, let the matter go.

"Oh, all POKEMON are allowed to compete! They can all participate in the Summer Festival! Just like all animals can compete! Of course, the events you'd want them in are limited, but they can all compete if you wish!" the mayor exclaimed to Rick, who had approached him after a while. Rick sighed and slapped his forehead.

Shang rode to the Village Square on Arcanine. The Tsutsuji Race was about to start.

"ATTENTION, VILLAGERS!" called out Ally. "THE PARTICIPANTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

SHANG, ON ARCANINE!

GRAY, ON KINOFUJI FOR BARLEY YODEL!

ISAAC, ON RAPIDASH!

LYDIA, RIDING AN...AGGRON?

KOKUBUNJI, ON TSUBAKI!

RIIRI, ON MAGNOLIA!

Please place all bets before 9:50, and also, don't forget to cheer on your favorite horse or POKEMON! That's all!"

Harley and Muk entered the village square. Immediately, visitors from other towns and cities began to hold their nose heh. "What IS that smell?" commented one girl to her friend Ruby. "I don't know, Saph!" Ruby replied.

The 10 o clock bell rang and the horses and AGGRON, and other POKEMON were led to the ring.

"Lane 1! Shang!

Lane 2! Gray!

Lane 3! Isaac!

Lane 4! Lydia!

Lane 5! Kokubunji!

Lane 6! Riiri!" Ally called out. "On two! On your mark.... go, GO!" And they were off!

Lydia's Aggron was slow, but he took huge steps. Those huge steps made up for his lack of speed. In fact, AGGRON was neck to neck with Tsubaki and Kokubunji, the second fastest. In the lead was Gray, on Kino. But Shang was quickly catching up.

"AND COMING UP FROM THE OUTSIDE, IS SHANG, RIDING ON ARCANINE!"

Arcanine and Kino were neck to neck or rather, nose to leg as they both ran their fastest to win the Tsutsuji Cup.

'Just a little bit faster, Kino. A little bit faster and we'll win!' Gray urged his horse on quietly.

On the sidelines, Laine remarked, "It's a paper thin line...whoever has the greater will shall win."

"KINOFUJI!" Gray egged on the horse...but...

The paper ribbon tore in half as Arcanine burst to the finish line.

"..." Gray and Kino cantered to the finish line.

"Congratulations to Shang and Arcanine! I hope you'll enter next year, or this fall, for the Mokuren festival or for the next Tsutsuji Festival! And here's your Tsutsuji cup—it will be returned by the beginning of the next Summer so we can all ride for it again! Congratulations to the both of you!" Ally and Mayor Thomas presented the glimmering trophy to Shang. Cheers erupted from the crowd to acknowledge the new Champion of the Tsutsuji Flower Race the official name.

Event 2: Swimming with Corsola! Who's fishing whom? The Saniigo Fishing and Swimming Fest! SaniigoCorsola

Jeff, the Doctor, Harley mwahahaha, Ann, Elli, Lydia, and Isaac tsk tsk. Talk about cousin rivalry warmed up for the Swimming race as Ally and Laine read off the list of names.

"Competing in the Swimming Festival are:

Jeff!

Tim the Doctor!

Harley!

Ann!

Elli!

Lydia!

Isaac!

Shadow!" Ally called.

Laine looked at the list of names and announced: "However, there are only two competitors in the Fishing Contest: Zack and Greg!"

Mayor Thomas rang a bell. "The Swimming Contest is about to start! Contestants, in your places! On three! 1...2...3...GO!"

Jeff, naturally, was soon left in the dust. Ann was a strong swimmer and got past Isaac and Tim rather easily. Elli was fast while she still had power, but soon she fell behind. Lydia, Harley, and Ann were swimming furiously, trying to surpass each other. But then Ann's leg hit something. She gave a yell of surprise and pain. 'I can't let them win though...' Brave person isn't she Shadow came up from behind and was about to pass Ann. Violently Ann persisted in swimming, ignoring the cloud of red that was quickly coloring the water.

"TIME OUT!" Rick yelled. "Ann, your leg is bleeding! Get out of the water!" Shadow quickly let Wailmer out Don't ask me why you all are carrying POKEBALLS in the water. You are. They're waterproof, so deal. She skimmed over to Ann. Ann clambered onto the huge WAILMER (she nearly fell off) and she was safe from the blue water that now looked so innocent.

Doctor Tim looked concerned as he looked over Ann's leg. "That cut's pretty deep," he remarked. He rubbed some kind of ointment on it don't ask me why he takes ointment with him everywhere. "It'll be fine...just don't put too much weight on it." Ann nodded.

"Er..." Mayor Thomas frowned. "The Swimming Contest has been canceled! This year's Saniigo Swimming trophy will not be distributed! We will have the surfing contest instead, between all of you water pokemon types."

Kai grinned. "Ready, Marshtomp?" he asked his eager partner. "Marsh!" was the surefire reply.

"Whoever will enter the Surfing Contest may sign up now. Who is entering? Show of hands..."

Ally read off the newly scribbled list.

"Entering the Surfing Contest for this year's Saniigo Swimming Trophy are:

Kai, with MARSHTOMP!

Lydia, with Mira, her Mariruri Azumarill!

Isaac, with JUGON! DEWGONG

Shadow, with WAILMER!

And finally,

Greg and...his GYRADOS! Gasp"

"On your mark...get set, GO!"

And the surfers were off!

Elegantly Shadow rushed by on WAILMER. Because of WAILMER'S large size, she would easily win...except...

The water was too shallow! One foot more and WAILMER would win!

JUGON and Isaac skimmed by gracefully, but Lydia wasn't about to let them. Mira kicked even harder and tried...

But GYRADOS and Greg were beating them. Kai was ahead of Greg, but only a matter of inches. JUGON was quickly defeated by GYRADOS I spell that wrong...oh well But Shadow, with WAILMER'S hugeness, was still in the lead. Not for long, until WAILMER splashed its tail and nearly crashed into the rock on which Rick was standing on He got very very wet, Rick did.

"AND THE WINNER IS SHADOW AND WAILMER!" Rick screamed, as if it weren't obvious enough already.

The outstanding trainer and her POKEMON were awarded the Saniigo Trophy. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Shadow walked back to the Seaside Shack to change back.

The villagers agreed not to hold the Fishing Contest because it was getting late. One last event and the festivals would be continued tomorrow.

Event 3:Tamatama's Amazing Stomp! An event for the children...who defeats whom?

Tamatama is Exeggcute. I know they can't stomp, but when they grow into Nasshii, they can ;D And besides, Tamatama sounds so much more kawaii. That and well, duh, they're kids! What do you expect!

Basically, Stu and May were the only eligible participants for the contest. And so the pair got ready to play Tamatama's Amazing Stomp. The rules of the game were much like Chicken Sumo: Push the other child out of the ring by pushing and stomping. Also you could distract them.

Stu and May entered the ring and they leered at each other. "Ready, set, go!" called Ally.

Stu frowned and stomped hard. May didn't flinch, except coolly regarded him and said, "Stu, there's some thousand year candy at Mammy's house! Why don't you go get some?" Stu wasn't that easily fooled, but May still persisted, knowing he would break down someday. "There's also a lot of dango: why don't you go get some?" A vein pulsed in Stu's head. He wasn't going to give in. Furiously and violently he shoved May. She stumbled backwards before yelling, "Stu! Look! Over there!' She waved and pointed. Stu turned around as May got up and shoved him outside of the ring. Almost. He fleetly avoided the shocking white line. He scowled at May and began stomping towards her. "Go to Mammy's house! There's a lot of good food awaiting you...and you didn't have any lunch today. You're getting hungry, right?" May tried. Stu shook his head and kept on stomping and shouting.

He started shoving but May was too fast for him. Finally they wrestled and punched and bit and kicked so violently that Elli and Barley separated them.

"Eh...I believe that THIS YEAR'S Tamatama's Amazing Stomp is a tie! The winners are Stu and May!" Mayor Thomas announced quickly. "Bravo, both of you!"

Uneasily the villagers clapped. The children were getting very violent. Perhaps they shouldn't be spending so much time in Pastor Carter's basement eating popcorn and watching horror movies.

A/N: I don't know, I think that was kind of a short chapter. Anyways, tomorrow's events are:

Dog-catching thingy

Chicken Sumo!

Cross country around the Village!

And it ends with a picnic, courtesy of Pastor Carter. Winners of contests get to show off their trophies. Also, everyone gets even MORE free food from Doug. A socializing hour and the day after is everyone's normal schedule, and we go back to Holly and Shinji and everyone. Moreover, Shang leaves for Mount battle as well. Okay, over and out. If you want to be in the Cross Country, the Chicken Sumo, or the Dog Catching Dog fetch the ball/Frisbee-ish thing review! Okay, over and out!


	15. The Summer Festival: Part 2

A/N: Well, THAT was a long nap! Anyhoo, I LIVE! I'm BACK! Back to haunt you all! Hahaha! >)

* * *

Summer Part 2: Ever Wonder? 

Event 1: The Dog Catching Thingy

"Who thought up the name for this?" Popuri asked her brother, Rick.

"I don't know." Rick replied, scratching his head.

"I did." Said a familiar voice. Jack was back! That did explain why Pastor Carter set up a picnic while he was supposedly not in the village.

"You thought up a stupid name, Jack." Karen chastised him.

"You're one to talk! The TamaTama Amazing Stomp? What the heck is up with that?" Jack retorted.

"It's better than 'The Dog Catching Thingy'!" Karen said coolly. Jack scowled before stomping off with his newly tamed Lairon.

"Okay!" Ally announced. "It's time for the, err, Dog Catching Thingy! But Pokemon can be included too! Contestants, line up on that line over there! These are the rules!

1) You must have your own Frisbee or Tennis Ball!

2) If you don't have one, too bad! You are automatically DISQUALIFIED!

3) When I blow the whistle, throw your Frisbee or Tennis Ball as skillfully as possible! Try to get it as close to the line as possible, because it will give you an excellent advantage! But also try to throw it farther than whoever is in last place!

4) Restrain the dogs until then, please! Don't let them chase until I blow the whistle a second time!

5) Whichever dog can bring back their possession the fastest will win! Also, you must throw the Frisbee or Tennis Ball farther than 10 Yards in order to qualify!"

"But that's not fair!" protested May. "Whoever throws it the shortest way will win, because the dog doesn't have to run as far!"

"But, May," Ally explained. "If you throw it to short then you won't qualify! Whoever throws it the shortest distance is also automatically disqualified!"

May was upset. She knew she was going to be the one to throw it the shortest, amongst all of these people, and so she fretted. She knelt down to pet Hana.

"Hana, you're a great runner, but I can't throw it that far. If I could, then we would win, I know we would!"

"Pray for the best, little May." It was Barley. "Someone will throw it farther than you, and someone shorter." He nodded.

"Grandpa, that was a terrible adage."

Barley smiled. "Good luck, May, you'll win this contest for sure!"

And so the Dog Catching Thingy event had started!

The contestants were:

Jack (Lairon)

May (Hana)

Gray (Sun)

Stu (Growlithe)

Kai (stolen goods)

The five competitors were ready. May was nervous, Jack was boasting and over confident, Gray was sulky and withdrawn, Stu was bouncing around, and Kai was looking around guiltily. He didn't even know his dog's name, but everyone assumed his dog was named "Stolen Goods". He wanted to keep it that way.

May twirled her silky black hair around her finger. She thought about what her Grandfather had said, but when she looked around, everyone else was stronger than her. Her only hope was that someone would mess up, and throw it a very short distance.

All was forgotten when Ally blew a short, sharp, blast on her whistle.

Gracefully Kai stepped forward, and threw the tennis ball in a beautiful arc that stretched across the summer sky. It was a bit farther on the line. The audience gasped at his precision.

Gray threw the Frisbee with such force that the spectators gasped at his rage. It flew across the sand, landing by the waiting Mawile. Mawile tried her best not to eat it.

Stu whipped out a tennis ball and pitched it like a baseball. It landed a bit past Kai's.

Clumsily Jack stepped up to line and reeled back his arm, attempting to act like Kai, Gray, and Stu all at once. It didn't work out, and he slipped. It fell behind the line, in a shortfall deficient of the requirement.

May drew her breath in sharply. If she could make it past the line, then Hana would have just as much chance to win! Shakily she pulled out the Frisbee, and let it fly. The toy landed right in front of the line. She couldn't believe it. May could win! She had more of an advantage than anyone else!

Kai wasn't worried at all, because it wasn't :that: much farther than the line, and besides, the dog was only the very best. He did, however, forget to reckon that perhaps the dog was stolen and would not listen to him.

Ally blew another short, sharp, blast on her whistle and they took off!

Sun bolted beautifully and smoothly across the sand, kicking up clouds of dust as she ran. The golden streak of light was the only thing spectators could see of the mysterious dog. Sun was Gray's dog from the city. She had come for the Dog Catching Thingy.

Stolen Goods loafed around, not paying any heed to Kai's yelling and pleading. Kai tried chastising Stolen Goods, yelling at him, begging him, and spoiling him, bribing him, blackmailing him, even threatening him, but nothing worked. No one could catch up to Sun, Growlithe, or even Hana now. Even if they were the very best dog indeed.

Growlithe was still just a puppy. He loitered around for a bit before loping towards his target. However, he was too far behind Hana and Sun to catch up. Sun was still cantering towards the Frisbee as fast as she could, but too far away to make it in time.

Hana ran at a slow and steady pace. She picked up the Frisbee plainly and simply, and brought it back to May. "Good girl." May whispered. "Good dog."

Hana smiled her dog smile, and went to sleep.

"This year's Dog Catching Thingy winner is May with Hana!

In second place, Gray with Sun!

In third place, Stu with Growlithe!

In fourth place, Kai with Stolen Goods, who has not yet brought back the Tennis Ball!

In dead last, Jack with Lairon, who was disqualified.

Congratulations May! Congratulations Hana! Here are your two trophies."

And so was the ending of the Dog Catching Thingy.

* * *

Event 2: Chicken Sumo! 

Next, everyone gathered in the square. Popuri had run home to fetch a chicken, while Isaac and Lydia hurried back to gather some of Jack's chickens for him. Other people came to participate.

Jack was up first with Alpha, versus the prize chicken of the Poultry Farm, Pom-pom! (Popuri named her)

Jack egged his chicken on, but a bit too early. Alpha scared herself and ran out of the ring. Jack smacked his head with his hand, and grumpily left early.

* * *

Event 3: Cross Country! 

Shadow and Lydia readied themselves for the huge event. It would bring the closing of the Summer Festival, well, before the picnic anyways. Lydia knew she was going to have to leave soon, because Jack was back, and she couldn't keep the farm as a daycare forever anyways. Carter was back too, and that meant she couldn't stay in the church for that long either. Lydia was never one to be reliant on others, as she had always been independent and reliable FOR others. She couldn't keep feeding off of Pastor Carter.

"I'm probably going to be leaving after this event." She said to Shadow.

"Really?" Shadow asked, surprised. "Why?"

"I can't keep taking Jack's farm like this." Lydia smiled wryly. "Or the Church. It's not right. They need a place to stay too. I'd feel like a bottom feeder if that happened-"

"Yes well, they said a year. It hasn't been a year yet! You still have a season and some here! That was the bargain and that is how much you paid for, right?"

"It was a bad season for the crops." Lydia sighed. "We didn't get too much for them. It's only right. We wasted Jack's money and had to sell some mushrooms from Carter's pantry. Of course we'll have to pay a little bit more. It's only right."

"You paid for a year and you deserve a year! That is a fair deal, and I would hope that Jack would upkeep his part of the deal."

Lydia shook her head. "I guess not."

Shadow sighed. "That stupid son of a –"

But Ally was already making announcements. "Whoever is willing to participate in Cross Country, come to the starting line!"

Lydia and Shadow shook hands. "May only the best win." Lydia nodded.

"Only the best," agreed Shadow.

Cliff, Kai, Rick, Jack, Harley, and Ann were the only others there.

"Let me explain the route." Ally pointed to a huge map of Mineral Town.

"Today, for the Cross Country Event, you will start right here, in Rose Square! You are going to run up to the North, as if you were going to go to the Inn. Run past the Inn and turn to the right, in the direction of the church. Run past the church and turn. You will have to cut through Rose Square again. Keep going until you reach the Yodel Ranch. If you wish, there is a break stand. You may take a break for as long as you want, but keep in mind it will affect your place in the race. Water is provided.

"When you're finished with that, keep running past the Poultry Farm and Jack's Farm. Cut through Jack's Farm and head into Mother's Hill. Run up the stairs and down again, and keep running straight. Run past Gotz' house and follow the path back to the Poultry Farm. Keep running, and this time don't go into Jack's Farm. Turn to the right and run past the Blacksmith shop, the Winery, and the Library. The next break stand is at Ellen's House. The same rules apply here as they did on the Yodel Ranch. When you are done, keep running. Run to the church, and follow the path back to Rose Square. You will be entering from the West Entrance. Good luck to you, and we have plenty of refreshments here. Are you ready? Do you need me to repeat that again?"

"We got it." Ann spoke for everyone.

"Good." Ally replied. "On two.

On your mark.

Get set.

Go.

GO!"

Everyone took off like lightning, except for Lydia, who was quickly left behind. She enjoyed jogging slowly, and looking at the beautiful scenery. She had never really taken time to appreciate the setting of the sleepy town. Lydia really didn't care if she won or not. She just wanted to explore the relatively new buildings in town.

"What's up?" asked Shadow, who was running past.

Lydia smiled and shook her head.

Shadow was in the lead! She kept running as fast as she could, the exact opposite of the conservative Lydia. She was nearly to Yodel Ranch now.

Cliff was trying to pace himself, and it showed. He was straining not to slow down, and also straining not to break into a spring to catch up to Shadow. He was in second place.

Harley was behind Cliff. Muk tagged along behind Harley. Harley, Muk, and Cliff were neck to neck. Suddenly Harley overtook Cliff from the outside and he was in second place!

As for Lydia and Ann, they hade overtaken Rick and Rick was dead last !

Everyone kept running, running, running.

They ran past Gotz' house, and got into a tight squeeze at Ellen's. Everyone took a long break. Wouldn't you? They continued to run, until Harley and Shadow started sprinting for Rose Square.

Ally scratched her head as she watched them both collapse into the middle of the square, gasping for air. She couldn't decide who was first!

"Uh. It's a tie!" She announced, and the villagers cheered.

Isaac was confused. "Don't you want someone to win? Weren't you rooting for one of them?"

"No, Isaac! You've got it all wrong!" Mayor Thomas explained. "The Summer Festival is all about celebrating your neighbors. I want everyone to be happy and share what they have. What's better than sharing a trophy with your friend?"

Isaac stared at him. "Now I know why Jack and Carter left. What a cheesy town!"

Last Event: Picnic by the Beach! Playing with Pokemon!

After a long day of celebrating and odd feeding schedules, the villagers relaxed by the beach. The moon glimmered over the ceasing waves, and Karen sighed in relaxation. "This is true bliss."

The waves washed away the footprints and sand castles built that day, and lapped at the villagers' legs.

"This is the life," commented a shadowy figure.

"Indeed." Replied his companion.

* * *

A/N: Yeah I'll try to keep updating. No promises. 


End file.
